• "A wildly diverse improviser/composer/arranger with a penchant for unorthodox instrumental combinations, guitarist Joel Harrison has sustained one of the most unpredictable discographies of the last decade with his chimerical mix of jazz, blues, chamber music, African and Indian folk music, Appalachian tunes and old school country songs." - All About Jazz

    Want to hire one of Joel's Ensembles? Commission a Piece or Contact Joel for Booking

    "Definitions blur, and suddenly it no longer matters whether Harrison improvises or composes. Whether his playground is jazz, pop, folk, country, or classical it all comes down to this: imagination without limits." - Jazzthing, Germany
    "Add Joel Harrison to Metheny and Frisell as guitarist/ composers who have created a new blueprint for jazz." - New Orleans Times Picayune

Ensembles

2012

Joel Harrison Septet
This is a “chamber-jazz” project for my new album, Search

Ensemble Members: Donny McCaslin, Gary Versace, Chris Howes, Dana Leong, Stephan Crump, Clarence Penn, and myself

[ more info & audio ]


Joel Harrison / Anupam Shobhakar Quintet
All original music combining Indian, jazz, country/blues

Ensemble Members: Anupam Shobhakar (sarod), Joel Harrison (guitar), Gary Versace (piano), Stephan Crump (bass), Dan Weiss (drums)

Still Point – Turning World (2010/2011)
To bring under one roof those sounds I most love

Ensemble Members: Anupam Shobhakar, Joel Harrison, Drew Gress, Ben Wendel, Dan Weiss, Matt Ward, Michael Lipsey, Tom Kolor, David Cossin

[ more info & audio ]

2011

Large Ensemble
A twenty person jazz orchestra with my most ambitious writing yet

Featuring: Donny McCaslin, Marty Ehrlich, Shane Endsley, Curtis Fowlkes


String Choir: Performing the music of Paul Motian

Ensemble Members: JH and Liberty Ellman- (guitars), Christian Howes, Sam Bardfeld, Mat Maneri, Dana Leong (string quartet)

[ more info & audio ]

Fojoto Trio
Arrangements of country, African, jazz pieces

Ensemble Members: Foday Musa Suso (kora), Tony Trischka (banjo), Joel Harrison (acoustic & electric guitar)

Other Ensembles

Small Jazz Ensemble

Featuring Variously: Donny McCaslin, Gary Versace, Stephan Crump, Christian Howes, Jordan Perlson

Whirrr
Arrangements of Jimmy Guiffre’s music co-led with drummer George Schuller

Featuring: George Schuller, Ohad Talmor, Jacob Garchik, Marty Ehrlich, Cameron Brown

[ more info & audio ]